Besides the normal stuff I like about libraries, I liked the painted benches that were near the staircases and elevators
Also, on one of the floors (no I don't remember which) there was a brief exhibit on the construction of Seoul and a display of gifts presented by dignitaries from around the world.
I found some tables and an empty chair that I could occupy for an hour or two. I'm not sure which occurred first: writer's block or hunger. Either way, I headed back to the underground shopping area to stay out of the rain and began walking until I found a shop selling dumplings. I also finally did a Giratina raid in this country! Unfortunately, I didn't catch it. After walking around for a bit, I headed back to the library and took back the exact seat that I vacated an hour or so earlier. Even worse than not catching that Giratina, I fell into the trap of reviewing my work ... which results in questioning the legitimacy of everything I'd written just moments earlier. So, of course, nothing new got done. Eventually, the librarian came around to let everyone know they were closing up soon. No, I don't know exactly what she said, but I like to think that I understand "Get the fuck out" in any language. Went back to that Indian restaurant near the hostel for dinner but this time they gave me an English menu. Got Indian Butter Chicken curry, which, if you're one of my two old co-workers, you know the addiction to it.
Oh, and if you cared, here's part of what I wrote that day:
From my viewing orb I watched the band of heroes surround Bobby at the far side of the cave. As always, Bobby was milking his upcoming death scene, always the over-actor. Over actress? He, or she, had only been working at our dungeon for a week or so and I've been thinking it rude to ask a 90 foot long giant scorpion if it prefers the male or female pronoun. Either way, Bobby was putting on a show, backing away slowly, claws snapping, it's giant stinger clanging off iron shields. Acid spray mixed with the occasional jet of smoke and steam pumped into the chamber messed with their lone archer's aim, causing arrows to bounce harmlessly off of the scorpion's steel plating.
Soon enough, Bobby found itself trapped at the far-side of the cavern, exactly as scripted. The fighters were kept just out of range, the elf's arrows couldn't find hit anything vital, and their wizard was busy charging up a spell which we could use in our own finale. All of it according to plan. Then I got up from my chair and starred at the orb. Stared hard. Two fighters, one elf, one wizard. I unrolled the scroll, a list of today's raiding party complete with an inventory of their gear collected by the local innkeeper. Two fighters armed with shields, one with a sword, one with an axe. An elf with a bow and long knife. A wizard with a staff and a short knife at the base, and a ... The rogue! I abandoned the viewing orb and looked out through the illusionary veil that concealed by room hidden high above the cavern. Where the hell did he go!
I took in the whole scene again. They stood at the front entrance and slowly worked the fight arond the cavern as predicted. Bobby might've come to our humble tier two dungeon just to ease himself into retirement but he was still a true professional. Hopefully he hadn't forgotten about the rogue, as I had, but just in case, I needed to keep an eye out to make sure none of my team got injured or killed.
There! my eyes spotted the faint shadowy movements close to the ceiling, just about level with myself but 30 meters across. That bastard. Quickly, I ran back to the viewing orb and watched the playback. Upon entering the cavern, he had been the second to charge into the fray, a stupid move for a thief, and gotten himself knocked to the side. Bobby batted him away with her tail, though light enough that he wouldn't sustain any major injuries. Something like that, after all, could lead to some severe legal issues, even the shutting down of the dungeon itself. I guess Bobby didn't hit the rogue hard enough because as the fight with the rest of the party progressed, the rogue got up and began quietly and slowly, scaling the side of the wall, moving stealthily enough not to attract attention. And it worked because he was high up here, with a very large, possibly enchanted, probably poisoned knife aiming to plunge down onto Bobby.
This needed to be timed perfectly. I waited until the rogue was in position. Waited until he dropped to deliver what he hoped to be the killing blow. Just as he dropped, I clanged a rock off of Bobby's steel plating, the plate closest to where the assassin was sure to land. Then I bounced a small reflection spell off the same plate, blinding the rogue for just a second. Enough time for Bobby to act. He knocked back the two fighters with its claws, then swung a wide arc with its tail to startle the group, ending with an upward swing, catching the rogue mid-fall with the backside of the stinger and sending him back into the wall. The wizard finally managed to fully charge his spell. I hit the button activating the shield curtain, allowing the spell to explode just a couple meters from Bobby, the room simultaneously filling with a thick black smoke.
I heard coughing. "What the fuck was that Kyler!" exclaimed someone, probably one of the fighters as they were usually the loudest.
"It was just supposed to be a standard piercing spell. I swear I did the chant right," replied the wizard.
By the time the smoke cleared, Bobby made it through the trap door and a scorpion skeleton put in its place, along with a single chest of copper coins, enough to get the group through to the next village. This was only a Tier Two dungeon after all, they shouldn't be expecting a whole lot. I waited, watching as the party go their bearings after the smoke cleared, then split up the coins between the 5 of them, and then exited through another doorway that opened after boss Bobby was defeated.
"Okay, we're clear!" I announced, my voice magically booming throughout the entire dungeon, "Let's get this all cleared up and prepped for tomorrow." I'd heard from the innkeeper there was already another raiding party setting up for an early morning quest tomorrow.
On cue, teams of orcs spewed through hidden doors armed with brooms and buckets: some to clean up the mess left behind, others to create a new mess, this was supposed to be a dungeon. I went down to the infirmary. I didn't witness anything bad, but best to check it out myself. Downstairs, our lone cleric was looking after my front-line crew: the slimes, orcs, giant spiders, even Bobby, anyone who interacted with the raiding party. Even Gregory, the old hermit that warned the raiders not to go into the cave, though I have no idea why. When I asked, he just thought it best in case they cursed him on the way in. "You worry too much," I said, shaking my head.
So, this story was supposed to be about the people and creatures that reset dungeons after a raiding party has been through it. The main character is the Dungeon Master who is in charge of this dungeon. The plot goes that one of the raiding party members leaves something behind and ends up peeking behind the veil, seeing what goes on behind the scenes of the dungeon. The thought that derailed this whole thing was the idea that if one dungeon is controlled by the government, then what's stopping the government from actually controlling ALL dungeons, then what really is the point if dungeons are just escape rooms? And that got me stuck trying to figure out the Tier system for dungeons and how much the government can actually control. And, as it's been a whole year since I originally wrote this, no, I haven't gone back to it yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment